Interesting question, what sort of system can you put together on a budget that will hit 137db @ 1m or 140db @ 1m in a pair.......while still sounding reasonably good? Thanks!
It will only sound "good" for a short while until the hair cells in your cochlea are snapped like twigs, so don't put too much effort into it!
Of course Turbodawg intended the classic reference for 1W 🙄
And Kevin knows of the distance Vs amplitude ...😛
I'd say multiple amplification ( crossover sucks ...) and also multiple speakers/drivers...for a budget, otherwise just look at the most costly drivers/ speakers available and those will guarantee maximum output and durability.
Bandwidth is also to be considered....
And Kevin knows of the distance Vs amplitude ...😛
I'd say multiple amplification ( crossover sucks ...) and also multiple speakers/drivers...for a budget, otherwise just look at the most costly drivers/ speakers available and those will guarantee maximum output and durability.
Bandwidth is also to be considered....
Per side, I'd get...
An EV DH1a, running to ~2kHz
2x Eminence Beta 8s, horn loaded to about 400Hz
4x 15"s in ported boxes, but only use a couple of them to meet the mids. I'd try and use the nicest drivers possible here - they're gonna be hammered to get that SPL.
Behringer iNuke DSP amps all round.
I suspect that'd get you close. You could go for 12-15" kick-bins and 18" subs, but you're adding a lot of extra drivers/amps there.
I'd say that'd do for going to ~45Hz or so. If you wanna go lower, you're gonna need a lot lot more.
Chris
An EV DH1a, running to ~2kHz
2x Eminence Beta 8s, horn loaded to about 400Hz
4x 15"s in ported boxes, but only use a couple of them to meet the mids. I'd try and use the nicest drivers possible here - they're gonna be hammered to get that SPL.
Behringer iNuke DSP amps all round.
I suspect that'd get you close. You could go for 12-15" kick-bins and 18" subs, but you're adding a lot of extra drivers/amps there.
I'd say that'd do for going to ~45Hz or so. If you wanna go lower, you're gonna need a lot lot more.
Chris
Here you go.. 150dB on a budget.. 4 Train Vehicle Air Horn 12 Volt Compressor Hose 150 DB Trumpet Complete Kit | eBay
DH1A on HP640, a pair of B&C12PE32 on horns, four Eminence 15's in PPSL.
Hi-fi sound quality, inexpensive to build.
"I have to ask why? "
Large crowds in large spaces with adequate headroom.
This is a very large ballroom than has had up to 3500 people in it at one time, it can be partitioned off into six smaller spaces (each still a room large enough to play basketball in).
The dB police would shut down live acoustic music if they could.
A friend of mine plays (acoustic) violin with a country band on weekends. He owns about five violins, and takes one that is most suited to this use. It is so loud that he usually plays with a mute, yet the pedal steel guitar guys with their twin 15s and 500W amplifier cringe. This is NOT his loudest violin either.
I listened to an acoustic jazz quartet with a Grammy award trumpet player. and thought to myself 'it needs to be louder'. It would have been a good level in a small jazz club, but we were in a well damped 3500 seat auditorium. The woman I was with (my mother) thought it was too loud, and doesn't appreciate music.
As regards OSHA and absolute levels, music is not the same as noise. A noise level that would have you cringing in a factory, and tensing your ears, does not have the same (hearing damage) effect on music. There are studies in the literature that show this, but the dB police (don't) want to hear this, and so they ignore it.
Dance music can take a lot of flack. The SPL levels are mostly bass though. OSHA 'A' scale readings roll-off the bass at a 6dB/oct rate below 1Khz. So a 105dBA exposure for one hour could hit 130dB at 40hz and be OK. Too damn loud, you bet. Damaging levels, not according to OSHA. It's usually the excessive treble that gets crowd complaints (the bass gets the neighbors complaining).
Car stereo with its 150+ dB peak levels is another issue. I will not get in a car that can play louder than about 130dB, even if I am wearing full coverage ear protection, bone conduction will get you.
Large crowds in large spaces with adequate headroom.
This is a very large ballroom than has had up to 3500 people in it at one time, it can be partitioned off into six smaller spaces (each still a room large enough to play basketball in).
The dB police would shut down live acoustic music if they could.
A friend of mine plays (acoustic) violin with a country band on weekends. He owns about five violins, and takes one that is most suited to this use. It is so loud that he usually plays with a mute, yet the pedal steel guitar guys with their twin 15s and 500W amplifier cringe. This is NOT his loudest violin either.
I listened to an acoustic jazz quartet with a Grammy award trumpet player. and thought to myself 'it needs to be louder'. It would have been a good level in a small jazz club, but we were in a well damped 3500 seat auditorium. The woman I was with (my mother) thought it was too loud, and doesn't appreciate music.
As regards OSHA and absolute levels, music is not the same as noise. A noise level that would have you cringing in a factory, and tensing your ears, does not have the same (hearing damage) effect on music. There are studies in the literature that show this, but the dB police (don't) want to hear this, and so they ignore it.
Dance music can take a lot of flack. The SPL levels are mostly bass though. OSHA 'A' scale readings roll-off the bass at a 6dB/oct rate below 1Khz. So a 105dBA exposure for one hour could hit 130dB at 40hz and be OK. Too damn loud, you bet. Damaging levels, not according to OSHA. It's usually the excessive treble that gets crowd complaints (the bass gets the neighbors complaining).
Car stereo with its 150+ dB peak levels is another issue. I will not get in a car that can play louder than about 130dB, even if I am wearing full coverage ear protection, bone conduction will get you.
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